Resurrection

Character Reference: Remember (because I forget, too) Mahou sensei teaches Kido, Surudoi teaches Kendo, Handou teaches foot work, and Sentou teaches hand combat. Also, the Academy is about pushing the Shinigami to learn a lot, so since Ichigo and Nnoitra already know so much the instructors will be urging them to learn more.

I won’t include much detail about the exams because it’s not really relevant to the story and it will just unnecessarily take up space. I don’t want to bore you!

Resurrection: Chapter 6

Ichigo’s POV

The exams actually went well. Kendo, hand and foot combat were easy. Very easy. I didn’t even have to study for those exams. Kido was a close call, though. I might have added a little more force than necessary on one of the binding spells (nearly breaking the practice dummy’s arms off) but I passed. Nnoitra did well, too. He lazily cast the spells, sending a conceited smirk in the frustrated Mahou-sensei’s direction.

I checked the final count of students who would be continuing in the higher level classes and was surprised to see that only half of them would be moving on. I definitely preferred smaller sized classes, so it was no skin off of my back. I was eager for the hopefully more challenging classes, I really hated being bored.

Nnoitra took me drinking again to celebrate. We both went back to our room shit-faced, thankfully without the irritating room mate to bother us. It really took a load off of my back to not have to suppress my reiatsu all of the time (in consideration for my much weaker room mate.) I was able to relax when I got back to my room, neither of us feeling the need to talk as we lounged about.

The classes //were// harder, but only kido continued to give me trouble. Kukaku continued to tutor me, Nnoitra joining in for combative purposes. We still sparred with our zanpakuto outside of class, the shinai not enough to give us both that edge we needed in a fight. We were both becoming stronger, that was certain. The regular sword fighting had helped us both improve, not to mention we both still pulled moves that surprised the other. It kept our reiatsu sharp.

We started talking more. About stuff that I don’t just tell anybody. About my mom, and how I felt about her death. It was kind of lame that Nnoitra was the one who made my heart finally unclench and helped mend the crack that always threatened to break me in two. He just shrugged and gave one of those wide grins that scared the shit out of other students. “Hollows eat. It’s in their nature. What the fuck could a kid like you do? I don’t think you’re as good as you think you are.”

And I felt better. Was it wrong to like somebody who used to be an arrancar, an espada? Somebody who had nearly killed me? But I suppose I don’t really care.

He also told me a little bit about his background, or what he remembers about it. It explained a lot about his hate for women. His father was an abusive alcoholic who regularly beat on Nnoitra and his mother. Nnoitra didn’t seem really upset about that part, probably because they were both the first people he ate when he turned into a hollow. One night his father came home, drunk as usual, and grabbed a knife, turning on his wife. Nnoitra’s mother screamed and pleaded with the husband to not kill her. So he grabbed Nnoitra, who was 17 at the time, and held the knife to his throat.

“What kind of mother are you? You can’t even protect your own son.” And with that his father slit his throat. But that wasn’t what bothered Nnoitra. What really got under his skin was as he watched in his spirit form as his mother didn’t shed a tear, and instead suggested that they move away for a better life. That Nnoitra was just a burden anyway. Ouch.

That’s when Nnoitra decided that women weren’t worth anything.

I felt bad for him, but that wasn’t the point of the story, and I didn’t dare show my pity. All I said was: “Your mom is a real bitch. But not all of them are like that.”

“But some are.” He drawled back. I didn’t really have anything to say to that.

I think the first time that we both acknowledged that we were something like friends was when I nodded off in hand combat. I was sitting next to him, like usual, and I fell asleep. When I woke up my head was resting against his arm and I think I was drooling a little bit. He hadn’t pushed me off and seemed completely relaxed with me touching him in such a casual way. Neither of us said anything as I rubbed my eyes and yawned loudly, and then leaned back in my seat and gave him a rare smile. He just grinned and flicked my nose with one of his long fingers. I grabbed my stinging appendage and glowered at him.

“You drool, Kurosaki.”

And that was it. So we were friends. I’ve had friends before; Chado, Keigo, Tatsuki, Orohime, Rukia, Renji… But they didn’t really compare to my relationship with Nnoitra. Part of it, I think, was that he was new to emotions and didn’t really know what to do with them. It made him blunt, and therefore didn’t hold anything back. Most people try to present an image to the world, some characteristics false and misleading as to their true nature. But Nnoitra didn’t do that- who he is, is who he is. I didn’t have to worry about if his feelings might be hurt if I’m scowling in on my bed and not wanting to talk. I don’t have to tell him about my day (although he probably already knows since he was with me the whole time). And I didn’t have to put up a front myself.

It really was a wonder that we were friends with how…real we both were. Although, our personalities did seem to compliment each other. We were similar in some aspects, different in others. We were both hot tempered and brash, although //what// made us angry was different. He was aloof and I was tense. He grinned, I scowled. He hated women, I was a little afraid of them. (Seriously…all of the women I know kick my ass: Tatsuki, Rukia, Yoruichi, Kukaku…) He held a measure of disdain for those weaker than him and I just didn’t notice them.

Our first argument still makes me chuckle in remembrance. We were sitting in our rooms, Nnoitra flipping through a magazine in his boredom and I was reading Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ for perhaps the third or fourth time. “Hey Nnoitra?” I said, looking over at him from my bed.

“What do ya want?” He growled in irritation. I ignored his tone.

“Do you think you’ll ever find love?”

His eyes shot up in surprise and I had to suppress a chuckle. “What!?”

“You know, somebody you want to date, get married, and have kids with.”

He stared at me, his mouth set in a small frown. “What the fuck would I want that for? I would have to put up with a woman to do that.”

I blinked and sat up, dangling my feet over my bed. “So you aren’t interested in women?” I asked curiously.

“No fucking way.” He said and turned back to his magazine. But I didn’t leave him alone.

“So does that make you gay?”

His eyes narrowed and I had to dodge the magazine he threw at me. “That’s it, you and me, right now! Get your fucking sword, we’re fighting!”

I laughed and followed him out the door, chuckling even harder as some heads poked out the dorm room doors as Nnoitra stormed down the hall emitting deadly intent, and then quickly pulled them back in as Nnoitra glared. He kicked my ass so bad I had a hard time sitting down for a few days. It didn’t help that he was watching me smugly so every time I winced he gave me that shit-eating grin of his. But it was so worth it. That’s what our arguments amounted to: one of us getting pissed and then fighting it off until one of us had to go to the fourth division.

Halfway through our second semester in Kendo we finally had all of the protective equipment off and were fighting with our soul-cutting swords. Surudoi sensei had the ‘brilliant’ idea to pair Nnoitra and me with someone else in order to ‘broaden our experience.’ The guy who was supposed to fight me fainted and couldn’t be revived. The student who was paired with Nnoitra almost had his arm severed clean off. After that we stayed partners.

The number of students dropping out was increasing as well, those who just couldn’t cut it being Soul Reapers. Our teachers were getting harsher and picking up the pace until even Nnoitra and I had to concentrate. The technical aspects of foot agility were an aggravation I didn’t want to put up with. I didn’t understand why it mattered how I attacked an opponent if I ended up defeating them anyway. Soon we would be learning different flash step methods, like shunpo-ing to different places and flash stepping. I may have already known some flash step, but the idea of appearing in a different place intrigued me.

Maybe I could make it to the end of the year without killing myself in frustration. Maybe.

LINE

There are definite hints of feelings between these two, but I am going to take it slow. They don’t realize it yet, but it is building up. And ‘woot!’ for the ‘I’m not Gay’ spin off from my Uke Ichigo collection, NnoitraxIchigo one shot. I hope you guys laughed.

Also, for those that don’t know, Ichigo loves Shakespeare.